News

Patagonia, AZ

Mar 26 – Mar 30 , 2019

The Mountain Empire is one of the best kept secrets of Arizona. It’s an old west culture of mining country and ghost towns. It’s the Arizona wine country. It’s rolling hills and soaring mountain ranges above the desert floor. It’s miles and miles of jeep roads and that’s why we have picked this place as our venue for MTB Endurance Camp.

The camp includes five days of riding and 5 nights accommodation We welcome riders of intermediate to advanced levels, prepared to 4-6hrs daily. We do not leave any riders behind and will have adequate staff to manage riders of different abilities. This is small personalized camp with only 8 available athlete spots. This camp is designed to boost your volume for any upcoming goal events like Whiskey 50 Offroad, USA Marathon MTB Nationals, Trans Costa Rica MTB Stage race, etc…

See the daily itinerary below. This is a fully supported MTB endurance training camp. We will focus on volume and kilojoules. The riding is mostly dirt jeep roads with some pavement and single track. There may be a couple of days with short transfers back to Patagonia or to a starting point. The riding volume is demanding. You must have good fitness for this camp.

The elevation of Patagonia is 4050′ and weather during this time of year can vary from 50-75 degrees as a daily high. We ride rain or shine so come prepared for any weather. We will keep you updated with recommendations and forecasts as the camp approaches

Included:

Daily training sessions with goTenac.com Coaches

Complete Ride Support and product of UCAN

Daily Bike Wash and Tune

Training Talks with our Coaches

Cinch bag with Special Edition goTenac.com swag

5 days riding

Breakfast, Lunches and Dinners

All transportation during the trip

Transport from/to Tucson airport

Cost: $1999

You are responsible for the cost of your lodging, any airfare, bike rentals, and costs other than what is included above in the camp.

Race Face. You know the face. It’s the face of intensity, tranquility, and ultimately focus all in one. This is the face of CONTROL. CONTROL of your actions is of the utmost importance when entering an event or “battle” if you will.

The Samurai called this Shodo-O-Seisu. Shodo means “first move” and Seisu means “ to control” translating to “CONTROL the first move.” The first move is CONTROL of yourself and everything you do. That is everything from what you eat before the race, to your training before the race to your bike being race ready , etc… You CONTROL all these things. It also means you controlling your emotions and starting your race Fast but Relaxed.

I always tell my athletes to start Fast but Relaxed and often they give me a look of confusion. But by this I am saying I want them to start fast knowing that many races start at full sprint. At the same time, I want them to stay relaxed and focused. I want them to stay in CONTROL.

There is no need to panic. Stay in CONTROL and allow yourself to feel the energy of the race—what are your competitors doing? Are they attacking? Are they breathing hard? Is the start very fast or only slightly fast? Breathe deep and stay tucked in. It will slow and then prepare your next move.

Once that initial start line explosion fizzles, regain any loss of CONTROL
Now, I want you to FLOW.
Be smooth on the single track, your accelerations,your pedal stroke, your movements.FLOW with the course with the terrain. FLOW with your cadence.FLOW is less mistakes. FLOW equals Fast. FLOW is effortless and sustainable.FLOW allows you to put your biggest efforts towards the end of your race. You have ridden efficiently and saved your energy.

Now it’s time to ATTACK!

ATTACK in a planned part of the course that is your strength like a climb or a technical descent.

ATTACK is only an acceleration. Your are still in CONTROL. You are still in FLOW.FINISH strong. End your race with nothing left mentally or physically. Then celebrate your victory of having the best day you could possibly have on the bike. Always celebrate your victories

Many factors play a role in a successful training program, and Recovery is at the top of the list. Without recovery, there is no adaption and without adaptation, there is no improvement.

Recovery can occur in many parts of your day and you have control of it. Think of them as small goals through your day to optimize your workouts.

It starts as soon as you wake up in the morning.

Nutrition

During your nighttime sleep, your water and glycogen stores deplete. First Recovery goal in the morning is drink a glass of water (8 to 10 oz) and have a balanced breakfast with a majority of calories being carbohydrates. This is crucial if you are going out for your workout in the morning. If you skip this simple goal and go straight into your workout, you will not optimize your training and will delay recovery afterwards. How much carbohydrates depends on the length of the workout, the time between breakfast and your workout, and/or intensity and the period you are training in. Contact your coach for your individual needs.

Next goal is to prepare accordingly for your morning workout. If you are going to be out there for more than 1.5 hrs, then pack some food ,a carbohydrate drink and some water. I’ve been experimenting lately with natural food and have found many of the recipes from the Feedzone Portables book to sit well with me on long rides. Skratch Labs hydration mix is super light in taste and it provides just what you need for the ride. By being on top of your nutrition and hydration during your workout, not only will you keep your energy in place, but you will also be aiding your body by maintaining your hydration and glycogen stores. This plays very much in how quickly you recover from each workout.

Now comes the post workout goal. Everyone has a post recovery window after your training when your body is primed to replenish its glycogen stores and prepare for the next workout. The fastest way is fluides like a Recovery specific drink or even a smoothie will do the trick. To make a smoothie, take out the blender and experiment with whatever you like most. I usually start with 1 or 2 fruits, yogurt, oatmeal, and either almond or peanut butter. Lately almond milk has been my choice, but regular milk also works. Add some brown sugar, and/or honey for a sweeter taste.

Modalities

While you are enjoying your smoothie use this as an opportunity to complete your next goal – stretch your muscles. Specifically the muscles you just worked out.. Make your stretches gentle and you should not feel pain. Find the spot that feels right and hold for 2-3 deep breaths. Stretch the same muscle 3-4 times. Work on your quads, hamstrings, calves, hips, back, and arms. You can also use the goTenac.com Yoga Release sequence to ease those working muscles.

For the rest of the day your goals are

Drinking water regularly

aim for 2-3 liters of water

Post workout meal (separate from your post workout recovery food) to include a mix of protein, carbs, and fat.

Lean meats/poultry are the best options for protein intake. Take it easy on the carbs, there is no need to over do it by eating a pound of pasta, just a normal portion will do.

Repeat for dinner and put more emphasis on protein to help with muscle recovery.

Other goal modalities include massage, recovery boots, foam rollers, and simply getting your feet up. I always say if you are standing, sit. If you are sitting, lay down. If you are laying down, get your feet up. Afternoon naps work wonders, too.

Sleep

Aside from all these processes, sleep is your last Recovery goal. If you are lucky and have the option to sleep 8 or more hours at the end of the day, do so! During sleep, your body works and recovers itself from all the day’s work. Do the opposite and your legs will suffer the next day, specially after a hard workout or race. With good sleep hygiene, you’ll see improvements in performance, be mentally fresh, and lessen injury/infection risk.

With these easy day to day recovery goals, you’ll find yourself recovering quicker and ready for another quality workout. Therefore, a higher gain in fitness and putting you closer to your dream goals.

Yesterday, goTenac.com athlete John Murphy raced to 4th place at stage 1 of the Amgen Tour of California. Today I write that I am proud of Murphy’s ability to put himself in position to win. He didn’t win by standing on the top of the podium but he won by putting together a plan and following through with that plan.

First and foremost to accomplish your goals, you have to put in the work. Murphy recently finished a tough European campaign and came home to win the Joe Martin Stage Race. He followed that with some sickness so rest and recovery became priority 1 before the Amgen Tour of California. Once we were confident that was over, we knew he needed work on speed again so we wrangled local Coach Izzard to lead some motorpacing.

After seeing the power numbers and how Murphy was feeling that day, we were confident he was ready. So the next move was speaking with team management. Murphy had to relay not only that he felt confident but his numbers were backing up that confidence. To quote the Sentinels Coach McGinty , “Winners always want the ball.” Murphy wanted the ball. He got the ball.

The next step is the race and all that goes with it. Travel, hydrate, eat well, sleep, etc… That’s a job in itself but not really when you are focused. Once the race starts, you do what you always do. You hydrate, eat, stay efficient, be smart, and position. Position, position, position. You have to be out of the wind. You have to be on the wheel. You have to be at the front. Murphy did all that and with 1k to go, it’s go time.

You are in position, you have saved your best for last, now you must continue your plan —->Win.

Under the red kite, here we go. Stay calm. Position. Find the wheel. Murphy accomplished all these things and even followed our plan to jump first. Murphy has an ability to hold power for long periods of time and to beat World Tour competition in a 40+mph sprint, he will need to jump first. Murphy jumped to the far right and sprinted to place 4th.

He did not win but he put himself in position to win. Some days you will be beat but you gain a wealth of knowledge and confidence to do it again. And again you will. Again Murphy will.
So as you look to accomplish your goal, break down the goal into many small goals and put yourself in position to accomplish that goal. If you don’t put yourself there, you are merely dreaming, not doing.

One of the best ways to begin prepping for an upcoming season is to start with your goals. The idea is to get them written down on paper — not an ipad or a computer screen, sit down in with a pad of paper and pen.

Whether it’s a goal event in July or simply to finish with the ‘fast’ group on your local group ride, patience and consistency is the key. Getting ready for a new season contains a long list of open check boxes, and they can’t all be checked off at once. One by one, week by week, you check a box, taking the time to build the proper base.

As we have entered the New Year, the goal is to be 100% back to the routine and you are ready for more volume and harder training. Working with an experienced coach is the best way to formulate a well calculated plan to get you ready for your goals in the most efficient way possible. Efficiency is a key word here, because there are so many ways to approach getting ready for an event. An experienced coach can help you evaluate the goal event, and how that event ties into both your strengths and weaknesses. This is what builds the ‘plan’ to get you ready to accomplish your goals while not feeling overwhelmed by the plethora of training plans, theories and models out there. Even the most organized and thought out plan must be revised and recalculated, but having the steps laid out for you day by day, week by week can make all the difference in understanding the reason behind your training and hard work.

I hope this little piece finds you well and gets you started thinking about 2015 and how you can make it your best year yet. Now, get out there and goTenac!